Many in our community know and love our Chief of Police Robert Smith. Robert grew up nearby in Cameron MO and after high school earned his associate's degree in Criminal Justice and shortly after graduated from the Police Academy. Dedicated to his career, Robert has been in law enforcement for approximately 26 years and has been serving the Lawson Police Department since 2000. Robert became Police Chief 12 years later. In 2012 Robert also met the love of his life, Jeana. Just a few short years after meeting they married on Valentine’s Day of 2015. Robert has a son, a stepdaughter, two granddaughters and one grandson.

Recently, he has been diagnosed with Stage 3 multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma is a cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell. Plasma cells help you fight infections by making antibodies that recognize and attack germs. Multiple myeloma causes cancer cells to accumulate in the bone marrow, where they crowd out healthy blood cells. Rather than produce helpful antibodies, the cancer cells produce abnormal proteins that can cause kidney problems and in advanced stages of this disease, high levels of calcium in the blood, bone damage, anemia, muscle weakness and pain among several other problems.

Robert has already accumulated over $1,000 in hospital bills from past procedures and that is just the beginning, treatment could cost upwards of $100,000. Treatment could include long hospital stays, meaning there will be extended periods of time that he will not be able to work, series of tests, chemotherapy, radiation, and could even include a bone marrow transplant down the road. We have started this Go Fund Me to help lift the financial burden off of a man who has been invested in the community of Lawson for over 15 years. Let’s do what we can to make this difficult time in Robert’s life a little easier.